Ice caves of Lake Superior

The wonders of the Ice Caves of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Feb. 2, 2014.

Credit: Brian Peterson/Star Tribune/AP

Ice caves of Lake Superior

Winter
access to the caves is only possible when the ice is thick enough to safely
walk on.

Credit: Tom Aviles/CBS

Ice caves of Lake Superior

A visitor photographs the ice caves of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Feb. 2, 2014.

Credit: Brian Peterson/Star Tribune/AP

Ice caves of Lake Superior

It's
the first time in five years that conditions have been right for viewing the
ice caves, and some fear the unusual event could become even rarer.

Credit: Tom Aviles/CBS

Ice caves of Lake Superior

The wonders of the Ice Caves of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Feb. 2, 2014.

Credit: Brian Peterson/Star Tribune/AP

Ice caves of Lake Superior

Although
it's been a brutal winter, a study of the Great Lakes ice pack found that over
30 years it decreased by 70 percent.

Credit: Tom Aviles/CBS

Ice caves of Lake Superior

Unusual formations hang from the ceiling of an ice cave of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Feb. 2, 2014.

Credit: Brian Peterson/Star Tribune/AP

Ice caves of Lake Superior

Park
superintendent Bob Krumenaker points to climate change as the reason behind why
the ice caves could become a rare event.

Credit: Tom Aviles/CBS

Ice caves of Lake Superior

"We're
referring to the ice cave experience as a truly endangered national park
experience, because, like endangered animals, we can't predict its future, and
it may not always be there," says park Superintendent Bob Krumenaker.

Credit: Tom Aviles/CBS

Ice caves of Lake Superior

Thousands
of people have made the trip across the ice to visit the caves along an
isolated stretch of coastline on Lake Superior.

Credit: Tom Aviles/CBS

Ice caves of Lake Superior

While
the winter weather has created havoc elsewhere, it has also created these
amazing works of art.

Credit: Tom Aviles/CBS

Ice caves of Lake Superior

The
one-billion-year-old sandstone is full of cracks, allowing for lake water to
seep in and cover it in ice.

Credit: Tom Aviles/CBS

Ice caves of Lake Superior

While many are complaining about the ice this winter, others are embracing it -- and seeing the beauty in it.